THE PROJECT

The Firefly Tunnel Project is an artist exchange between the U.S. and Egypt. The project is the concept of the U.S. based artist Tavia La Follette and was brought to Egypt via her acceptance as an Artist-in-Residence to ARE (Artist Residency Egypt). La Follette runs her own non-profit gallery/performance space in the United States called ArtUp. Together with ARE and ArtUp, La Follette has begun to Egyptian side of the Firefly Tunnel. ARE and its director Essam Serry, partnered with La Follette to not only gather an eclectic mix of Egyptian artists, but to also host the workshop and artists who are living outside of Cairo. ARE is currently providing an artistic home to 10 artists in there residency home based in Giza with a picturesque view of the pyramids.

ArtUp using U.S. based artists will run a parallel workshop/residency. A symbolic and technological (web site) tunnel will be built between Egypt and the States for the artists to exchange their ideas on art, cultural community and how to utilize performance art and installation as a road towards a common understanding of humanity. The words “performance art and installation” are used to describe the work as it invites various forms of artists to participate- poets, dancers, conceptual artists, musicians, actors, videographers, painters, essayist, sculptors etc. Because it is a virtual tunnel and can be accessed worldwide, this allows for the dialogue to open up to a global community. A final exhibition of the exchange will take place in the United States, bringing in 3-4 Egyptian artists to represent that side of the tunnel.